Suhr won gold at the 2012 London Olympics and is focused on defending her title at the Rio Summer Games in 2016.

Rick Suhr said Jenn will almost surely miss competitions in London on Aug. 24, Zurich on Aug. 28 and Morocco in early September.

"This is going to cost us time and money, but it's all about Rio," he said.

More importantly, he said, the injuries are not "catastrophic."

Suhr, 32, has experienced just one other broken pole during competition and training. A pole snapped during training for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, about a month before competition. She won silver in China.

"That time she was up right away and she kept jumping," Rick Suhr said.

Poles usually always snap "at maximum bend," Rick Suhr said.

"The sport looks glamorous and smooth, and it is, but when you have equipment failure, you see the danger and the violence."

Her return to training will depend on when she's able to grip the pole with her left hand, and also when she is mentally ready.

Because of physical trauma that can take place after a pole breaks, coupled with the helplessness while falling, some pole vaulters have a difficult time returning to the sport and attacking the ramp with the same vigor. In some ways, it's like a pitcher in baseball who has been hit by a line drive.

"I've seen some really good people shatter poles and walk away (from the sport)," Rick Suhr said. "You have to get back on the horse."